Kendyl: What year are you and what are you studying at Northwestern?

Alena: I’m a second-year student, and I’m studying Computer Science (CS) in McCormick. It’s the same computer science classes (as the Weinberg computer science major), but we have requirements that are engineering and technical electives whereas Weinberg students have more of the history and writing. So, it’s a B.S. instead of a B.A. I thought about doing a couple of certificates, but I don’t have any other minors or anything.

Kendyl: Did you know what you wanted to major in before coming to Northwestern?

Alena: No! I knew that I was going to be STEM, because I’m not inclined towards writing or history, or anything like that. I thought I was going to be an engineer, so I came into McCormick undeclared; doing so streamlined me right into the intro classes for engineering students and got me started right away in my Engineering Analysis (EA) class sequence. So, it was a good place for me to start. I went through, I took CS classes since I thought that was what my major would be; those classes ended up being the the classes I most looked forward to. If I had homework, I thought “oh I’ll do my CS assignment first!” I also loved my [CS 1-11 and 2-11]  professor. She guided me a lot towards my major. 

Kendyl: Were you involved in any CS-related activities in high school?

Alena: I took AP Computer Science at my high school, and I had [participated in] a lot of other STEM activities, but I know a lot of people who started out in CS without any experience!

Kendyl: Outside of academics, what are you involved in on campus?

Alena: Like many Northwestern women in engineering, I became a part of our Society of Women in Engineering (SWE). This year, now that I have declared my CS major, I joined Women in Computing (WIC) too! Those are cool in that they [send out] emails about different events going on, so I’m always kept-up-to-date! Recently with the CS major for example, they had professors come and give half-hour talks about their research, and anyone could come so there were people from first-years to grad students there. We sat and listened to what’s going on in the world and in the field, which was really interesting.  

Kendyl: I know that you recently participated in a Hack-a-thon — can you explain what that is?

Alena: There are a lot of Hack-a-thons that go on, and there are various sizes. Some people travel a-long-ways (Northwestern helps us out!) for the big ones. I did Demon Hacks Hack-a-thon, which was a smaller size but it was the first one that I had ever done, and so I thought it was interesting. It was definitely a great experience! I learned a lot from being there.  

Kendyl: What was that experience like?

Alena: It was a 26 hour Hack-a-thon. Once I got there, they had the introduction ceremony and told us the theme, which was public transportation. You can design a “hack,” either software or hardware, and you have 26 hours before you present. We split into teams, brainstormed the idea, and figured out how we were going to code it. They also have some random technology there that you can use for fun! And then… you can either sleep or not sleep, depending on how much you have to do. This was one of the events I found out about through WIC – they have links for events both inside and outside of Northwestern.

Kendyl: Aside from WIC and SWE, how would you describe the support available for your major? Do you have access to resources like study groups or career resources?

Alena: Our CS home-base is on the third floor of Mudd Library, where most of the professors’ offices are, and where a lot of TA office hours are. If you need help, you can go there. For CS, especially the intro classes, there are a lot of peer mentors (aka other Northwestern students who did well in the classes) and a ton of office hours. I’ve also found that most of the professors are very willing to make appointments with you if you want to talk about something. Basically, there is a ton of support available for anyone who wants it!

Kendyl: What advice do you have for a high school student looking to major in CS? What should they be doing and what high school courses should they be taking?

Alena: There isn’t a prerequisite for you to have coded before; you can just go into it. The CS department at Northwestern structures the classes so that you don’t have to have anything coming in. It can seem intimidating, and it can be challenging, but once you’re into it, it isn’t bad. There’s no pressure if you didn’t have time to do it in high school or if you haven’t before, so I wouldn’t be scared of it! [That being said], if you’ve had some sort of programming experience or have even just seen code, that is going to make it easier for you. 

Kendyl: Finally, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in their CS major?

Alena: I would say to keep your eyes open, just because there are a lot of events that go on for you to go learn more about what’s happening in the field and major. So, explore these opportunities, and if you’re curious about something, email a professor! They love to talk about what they do.